Rabies vaccines offered

Saturday

Nov 9, 2013 at 12:01 AM

With Onslow and Carteret counties continuing to offer free and low-cost clinics for rabies vaccinations, area pet owners have an opportunity to abide by a state requirement and avoid fines under county ordinances.

JANNETTE PIPPIN Daily News Staff

With Onslow and Carteret counties continuing to offer free and low-cost clinics for rabies vaccinations, area pet owners have an opportunity to abide by a state requirement and avoid fines under county ordinances.

Onslow County Animal Services is offering a vaccination clinic 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at North Topsail Shores Baptist Church at 808 Old Folkstone Road in Sneads Ferry.

Onslow County residents can have their pets vaccinated for rabies for $10, cash only.

Onslow County Animal Services Director Alan Davis said they offer the clinics four or five times a year to give pet owners an opportunity to get the required rabies vaccine at a low cost. The next will be in the spring.

Whether residents chose to take advantage of a clinic or head to their local veterinarian, it’s important to the health of their pet — and it’s the law.

“They need to get it done; it’s required by state law,” he said.

Carteret County residents can bring dogs and cats to a vaccination clinic at the end of the month in Morehead City.

The clinic is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 22 in the parking lot of the health department at 3820 Bridges St. The fee for the one-year vaccine is $7.

After offering free and low-cost clinics for several years to help pet owners comply with the vaccination requirement, Carteret County Health Department’s Pest Management Division is stepping up enforcement of fines if impounded or captured dogs or cats are not current on their rabies vaccination.

Under Carteret County ordinances, if a lost pet is picked up by animal control or turned over by a citizen, pet owners must provide proof of vaccination or pay a $50 fine to claim their pet from the Carteret County Humane Society shelter.

County ordinances apply to the unincorporated areas of the county.

There is also a $15 fee to get the vaccine and any fees required by the shelter.

“The fines will now be imposed because we are at a point now that county pet owners have opportunities to have their dogs and cats vaccinated through the many low-cost and free rabies clinics that our Pest Management Division has been offering over the last several years,” department spokeswoman Mary Fournier said.

Nearly $300 in free vaccines was provided during a clinic held in conjunction with World Rabies Day, the department said.

But area animal services officials continue to see unvaccinated pets.

“More than half of the animals we come in contact with are not vaccinated,” Davis said.

Davis said that under Onslow County ordinances, animal control officers can issue fines to pet owners whose dog or cat they pick up and is not vaccinated for rabies. However, he said, there is a 10-day period during which they have to pay the fine and show proof of vaccination.

For those who don’t follow up with the vaccination, the fine for a second offense increases to $100 and then to $150 for a third offense.